Into the Unknown
by CSIBeauty
Summary: Gabriella, Taylor, Chad, Troy, Sharpay, and Ryan randomly get sucked into a world of magic and mythology. They will need to befriend the gods if they ever want to return home. Uses the world of Everworld. Not a full crossover. No need to know Everworld.
1. Welcome to Everworld

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Everworld**

This story uses the world of Everworld, a book about mythology. However I do not consider this a full crossover because it is the only part of Everworld I use. And There is no need to even know what Everworld is to understand this story. All is explained in the story itself.

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Thunder echoed in the sky, and lighting could be seen from a distance. Gabriella starred out of the

window of her bedroom, staring at the night sky. She didn't like these harsh storms. The wind was fierce and the branches of the tree outside kept banging on her window. Gabriella looked back at the book laying in her lap. She needed to finish her math homework, but she couldn't concentrate with the commotion outside. She looked out the window and saw a large bolt of lighting coming right for her.

Gabriella screamed and fell out of the chair backing as far away from the window as possible. She closed her eyes tight and heard the lightning hit the outside of her balcony. When she opened her eyes there was a strange field of energy outside of the door. Gabriella approached the energy carefully unsure of what it could possibly be. She reached out towards the doorknob when a blast of light hit her and everything went black.

There was a light breeze on Gabriella's cheek and she brushed her hair out of her face. She opened her eyes and was blinded by the sun. When her eyes finally adjusted to the light she noticed that she was surrounded by trees. Gabriella looked around the area she noticed that she didn't appear to be anywhere near her house. As a matter of fact, she wasn't familiar with the place at all. She felt the urge to scream for help, but without knowing where she was, she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention.

"Hello," she said softly into the forest. The only response she got was a gust of wind. She took a few steps and looked around to see if there was any clear trail she may have been on. "Great," she said out loud to herself. "How did I get way out here?"

"Are you lost my dear?" came a strong voice behind her. She turned around to see nothing but trees. She turned around a few times and she began to think that she was hearing things.

"Um, Who's there?" she said, shakily, wondering if there was anyone there.

"My name is Gil!" came the booming voice. The tree in front of her took a step towards her. She looked up and noticed that the tree had begun to form a face in the top of the trunk.

"Your a tree," was all she could say at the moment.

"Not exactly," said Gil, letting out a mighty laugh. "I'm a Dryad."

"What's a Dryad?" Gabriella asked, starting to feel more comfortable with the strange tree.

"Well, I suppose the best way to describe a Dryad is a sort of living tree," Gil explained. "We can walk and talk, not like other trees you may have seen. And what might your name be?"

"Gabriella Montez," she answered, still not believing what she was seeing.

"Well are you lost Ms. Montez?" Gil asked.

"Yes. I was sitting in my room, during a storm. I remember lightning hitting my balcony and then I woke up here," Gabriella answered. "I don't even know how I got here."

"Well, where is your room?" Gil asked.

"In Albuquerque, New Mexico," she said.

Gil looked at Gabriella confused. He lifted one of his tree branches and brought it to his head. "I'm afraid I don't know where that is."

"Where am I then?" she asked.

"You are in Everworld," said Gil.

"I don't think I know where that is," said Gabriella.

"Its right here. The forest you are standing in is part of Everworld," said Gil. "Though I am not sure I can help you get back to your home. However I can help you get out of the forest."

"Its a start," she said, smiling slightly.

"Hop aboard Ms. Montez," he said, laying one of his large tree branch like arms on the ground. She carefully climbed onto Gil's arm and he lifted her into the air. She could see into a long grassy plain that was not far from where they were. In a distance she could see a dark castle, and on the other side was a vast desert. It was a strange sight since she had never seen anything like it anywhere she had lived before.

"What is all of that?" she asked.

"Well the valley, is mostly belonging to Mother Isis. I would not suggest going to the castle, Loki is not fond of visitors. He has quite a temper and keeps to himself mostly. If you make your way through the desert there will be a large city. It is where Ra resides. He is very kind and will likely help you with your problem. Though if you go too far left in the desert you will run into Sets kingdom and he is not so kind. Most don't escape from his land." said Gil.

"Wait, Set, Ra, Isis. You mean like Gods," said Gabriella, surprised. "Mythology like Gods. The things I have learned about in school?"

"I suppose. Though I don't know what they teach you in your school. Zeus and Hera live on Mount Olympus, they might have the power to send you back home. The only problem is that Mount Olympus is many miles away from here."

They reached the end of the forest and he put her on the ground. She looked around and noticed that everything seemed much further than it did high in the air.

"So where is the safest place to go?" she asked.

"Into Ra's desert, but remember to be careful of Set." he said. "I would hate for you to get imprisoned by him. This is a dangerous place sometimes."

"Gabriella," came a voice in the trees. Gabriella turned around to see Taylor running up to her.

"Taylor," she yelled, exited to finally see someone she knew. They hugged and Taylor didn't even notice the large tree standing next to her.

"Whats going on?" she asked. "I just suddenly woke up in the middle of the woods."

"So did I, but I have no idea what is happening or how we ended up here," said Gabriella.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I best be going," said Gil. Taylor starred at him in shock, unaware that the tree could speak. "I hope to see you again Ms. Motez."

"Call me Gabriella," she said with a friendly smile.

"Alright then. I hope to see you soon," he said, beginning to walk back into the forest. "And Gabriella, Welcome to Everworld!"

_Authors Note:__ This is a rewrite of a story I started quite a long time ago. I am not trying to change too much, but with my imagination who knows what will happen. Please comment and tell me what you think. ~ Beauty_


	2. Asvoria

**Into the Unknown Chapter 2**

Gabriella and Taylor watched Gil disappear into the surrounding forest. Taylor was still awe struck by the talking tree, while Gabriella calculated which direction they should go to reach Ra's city. As Taylor continued to stand in one spot, Gabriella began to walk in the direction of the desert. When she looked back she noticed Taylor still standing still.

"Taylor are you coming?" she asked.

"What was that?" she asked, pointing towards the forest.

"He's a Dryad," Gabriella stated, simply. Somehow Gabriella was finding it easy to stay calm despite the situation they were in. However Taylor was not finding it so easy.

"What?" she said, clearly confused by what was going on. "Where are we and how did we get here?"

"We're in Everworld and as for how we got here I don't know," said Gabriella. "I just know that we need to find a way back home. Though I don't know exactly how far home is from here."

"How can you be so calm about this?" she asked, panicking.

"Gil told me which way would be the safest to go. If we keep walking down this valley we will reach a desert. Going through the desert we have to make sure to stay to the right. We will run into a city where Ra should be able to help us out, maybe even get us home," Gabriella explained. "Its going to be a long way though."

"So you know how were getting out of here?" Taylor asked.

"No, but I know someone who might help us," Gabriella answered. "And right now that's the best I can do."

"What about food and water. We don't have the supplies to get across a desert," said Taylor. "And in this place we don't really know how to get those things."

"We will have to work that out on the way," said Gabriella beginning to walk again. Taylor followed and they made there way down the grassy valley until night came. They stopped near the woods and found a soft place that they would be able to rest for the night.

"We should get some sleep," said Taylor yawning.

"Yeah," Gabriella agreed, sitting down in the grass.

"Gabriella, what are we going to do if we can't find a way out of here?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know. I'm hoping we won't have to worry about that," she said. "For now we just need to rest. We can worry about everything else in the morning."

They laid back on the grass and let their exhaustion take over. The next day they were awaken by the sun and their extreme hunger. It had been almost twenty four hours since they arrived in Everworld and neither of them had, had anything to eat.

"Gabriella, we need to get something to eat," said Taylor. "Otherwise we are not going to last much longer out here."

"I know, but I'm not sure how we are going to find anything out here," she replied, standing up. "I haven't seen any berry bushes or streams around anywhere."

"I may be able to help you with that," came a female voice behind them. They both spun around to see a beautiful looking women standing in front of them. She was tall with green hair down to her hips and she wore clothes made of leaves. They both looked at each other. After Gil, they both didn't know what kind of creatures to expect out there. And somehow they had a feeling this woman was not human either.

"Who are you?" Gabriella asked, kindly.

"My name is Asvoria," said the women. "And you are?"

"I'm Gabriella, and this is Taylor," Gabriella answered. Taylor just stood there. Gabriella knew that Taylor was having a hard time with the strange world they had entered. However Gabriella seemed to be adapting much easier than she had even expected.

"I'm sure that I would be able to bring you some food," she said.

"Thank you," said Gabriella. "We could really use it."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but what are you?" Taylor asked.

"I'm a nymph," she said. "I live in the forest and serve Mother Isis," She ran into the forest so quickly that she was a green blur, and returned as fast as she went with two plates of food. "I hope you like it."

"Thanks," said Taylor, grabbing the plate of food.. The two girls sat on the grass and ate the food while the nymph just watched.

"You don't seem like you are from around here. Where are you heading?" the nymph asked.

"We are on our way to the city of Ra," said Gabriella. "We don't really know how we got here, but we are hoping that Ra will be able to help us."

"I see," she said. "It is a lovely city I hear. However you may need a way to protect yourself if you are to cross the desert. It is not the safest place in Everworld."

"Really?" Taylor asked kind of frightened.

"I shall bring you both a bow and some arrows, they may help on your way," she said quickly going into

the forest and returning as she did before.

"Thank you very much," said Gabriella as the nymph handed her the weapon.

"You better be careful in the desert. Bandits wander through there looking for travelers, and if they think you can't handle yourself they may attack you," said Asvoria. "They are cowardly fellows and like to avoid those who look as if they will put up a fight."

"We'll be careful." Gabriella assured her.

"I should be getting back," said Asvoria. "I do hope you find your way back to where you came from and good luck on your way to the City of Ra."

"Goodbye and thank you," said Gabriella as she ran back into the forest. "We should go."

"I don't know how you can deal with this so calmly," said Taylor, standing up. "I'm freaking out and you have managed to take everything as if it was so normal."

"I don't know. If I'm not calm, we both would be freaking out." she said. "I think that being calm is the only way we are going to get out of here. And you're not a very calm person."

"I can be," Taylor replied. "Just not in crazy situations like this. I'll just follow you and hope we don't get ourselves in too much trouble."

"Alright," said Gabriella. "If we leave now we might be able to get the the desert by nightfall."


	3. Spotted

**Chapter 3: Spotted**

Nightfall came quickly and it seemed that they were still as far from the desert as they were when they started. Gabriella sat on the soft grass and laid back looking at the stars. Taylor sat next to her looking out into the darkness. Even though they knew the direction they needed to go, neither of them knew exactly how long it would take to get there. Gabriella had started to wonder if it was possible that their other friends were also there and if they were how would they find them. Her mind started to wander as the two of them sat in silence for a while as they listened to the sound of the night. There was a loud boom in a distance and Gabriella sat up.

"What was that?" Taylor asked frightened.

"I don't know. It sounded far away though," Gabriella answered.

"Does that make a difference?" Taylor asked.

"It does as long as its not coming toward us," said Gabriella. The boom sounded again, and the two of them screamed. It appeared that the boom was closer.

"Gabriella, I don't think we should stay here," said Taylor.

"Maybe your right," said Gabriella getting up and grabbing her bow. The boom sounded again and this time is sounded much closer. The girls began to run towards the forest in hopes of hiding from whatever was coming. There were loud sounds of explosives and soon loud footsteps were heard. When they were sure that they couldn't be seen, they turned to see what exactly had been coming towards them.

Suddenly three men walked into the clearing holding swords and shields, they were whispering to each other. Gabriella tried to hear what they were saying, but they were speaking so quietly that it appeared that they knew someone was listening. They looked behind them and began to run, as if being chased. Gabriella and Taylor stayed where they were hiding and again they noticed more people coming, but in greater numbers. Five men on horses stopped at the clearing and a man that looked as if he was in charge got off of his horse and looked closely at the disturbed grass. He looked ahead of him where them men had ran, and turned to the other men.

"They went that way," he said to the men in a harsh tone. "Don't let them get away." The other men nodded and rode towards the other men. He got back on his horse, but not before glancing toward the spot where Gabriella and Taylor were hiding. They both ducked hoping that he had not seen him. He looked away and paused before riding after his men. Gabriella and Taylor let out a sigh of relief and stood up.

"That was close," said Gabriella.

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Taylor asked. "Its not like its easy to tell who we can trust and who we can't. And those men didn't seem like good guys. What if they catch us? And we don't even know who they are or who they work for."

"Yeah, but we have to get to the city of Ra," said Gabriella. "Hopefully when we get there we can find a way home, and we won't have to worry about any of this anymore. At this point I would just like to avoid anyone I don't know, just in case. I don't think that should be too much of a problem."

"I hope your right," said Taylor. "I just. ."

There was a sound of horses coming back toward them and they ducked back into the trees. The commander that they had saw earlier came back and stopped at the tree line with a few other men. They got off of their horses and the commander looked back into the trees right in Gabriella and Taylors direction. They ducked down further hoping they could avoid being seen, but it appeared to have been too late.

"I believe I saw someone in the woods over there," he said, pointing into the woods. Gabriella and Taylor backed away further into the forest. "Go check it out and report back to me here."

"Yes sir," the man said heading right toward them. They backed further into the woods hoping to avoid the men when someone put their hand over their mouths.


	4. Familiar Faces

**Chapter 4: Familiar Faces**

The person backed the two of them away, still holding his/her hands over their mouths. They were backed into a space that was hidden in the trees. They could hear the men searching the area, but they didn't seem to be able to see where they were. After a few moments the men returned to their leader to report that they didn't find anyone. Soon they could hear the men leaving the area all together.

"Screaming probably wouldn't be a good idea," came a guys voice that Gabriella found familiar. He let go of them and they turned around.

"Ryan?" said Gabriella in surprise. "How did you get here?"

"How did you get here?" he echoed back. Taylor and Gabriella just looked at each other. "I can't explain how I got here anymore than you can."

"Okay, have you seen anybody else?" she asked, curious

"No, do you think were not the only ones here?" he asked.

"Well, when I got here I thought I was alone. Since then Ive ran into you two," she said pointing to both Ryan and Taylor. "For all we know everyone at East High could be here somewhere. It is a pretty big place. I don't think I would be that surprised if we ran into any other familiar faces. Though I don't know why we ended up here."

"Shh," said Ryan listening to what sounded like footsteps. They looked through the trees, but nobody could be seen. However they didn't want to make too much noise just in case.

"Do you think those men are back?" Gabriella asked. "Who are they anyway?"

"I don't know, but I don't think I want to find out," said Ryan, grabbing a sword from behind him and preparing to attack if necessary.

"Where did you get that?" Taylor asked, surprised.

"A tree," he said simply.

"Gil?" Gabriella asked.

"It said its name was Krya." said Ryan, giving her a strange look.

"This is crazy." said Taylor. They could here the movement in the trees again and Gabriella picked up her bow and readied and arrow. A man was getting closer to where they were, but passed by them. They could hear the sound of horses coming back and the man state that everything was clear. Soon the men were chattering quietly to themselves. It appeared that they were giving up the search for them.

"After they're gone we can keep going," said Gabriella, watching the tree line carefully.

"Where are you heading?" Ryan asked.

"Gil told me about a city where we would be safe, and may be able to find a way back home." said Gabriella.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No, but we have no place else to go, its our best bet," said Gabriella peeking through the trees. She noticed the two men talking and she quietly left the safety of their hiding place to hear what they were saying. Taylor and Ryan followed her. The commander seemed upset about something and the other man was backed away as if expected to be hit.

"You know that Yaslina will not like this news. Are you sure?" the commander asked the man.

"The dryad said that he saw them." he replied, shakily.

"Magralyn is not a very reliable source. He betrayed his own kind, how do we know that he is not doing the same to us," said the commander angrily.

"He said that he saw them, one was talking with Krya and the other two with Gil. He did not act like he was lying to us," the man explained. "He gave descriptions that was very similar to those talked about in the prophecy."

"The prophecy speaks of six people and he only told us about three," said the commander. "Why would he only mention three?"

"We have to assume that it is the prophecy. What will happen if the other three show up later and we did not tell Yaslina of the impending threat?" said the man. "She will not be happy if she doesn't have time to prepare."

"I suppose you are right, Valdur," said the commander. "You are always right. We will tell Yaslina about this and she can make of it whatever she wishes. What did you say the names of these people were?"

"Magralyn, said their names were Gabriella, Taylor, and Ryan." said the man as they both got on their horses and rode back where they came. The three looked at each other in shock.


	5. A Long Journey

**Into the Unknown Chapter 5**

"We're part of a prophecy?" Taylor asked, confused.

"Apparently, but who is this Yaslina and what does this prophecy have to do with her and us?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't know, are you sure its safe to go to this city?" Ryan asked. "This woman doesn't seem nice and I'm not sure we want to be captured by her."

"Yeah, it should be safe. As long as they don't know where we are heading," said Gabriella. "I also think we should stay as far away from the forest as we can. Someone could be spying on us. This dryad has already told the men about us, so we need to be careful about what we say."

They walked out of the forest and could still see the two men in the distance, but they were far enough away that they would not be seen by them. When they looked behind them there was no longer any sign of the other men.

"I guess we should get going just in case those other men head back to where ever it is they came from," said Gabriella.

The three of them walked towards the city silently for hours at a time, until they became to tired to go on. It was beginning to get dark and it seemed even more silent then normal.

"Do you have any idea how far this city is?" Ryan asked Gabriella.

"No, but I can see it from here," said Gabriella. "We can keep walking towards it until we finally get there. I just don't know how long it's going to take."

"What do we do if those men come back?" Taylor asked worried.

"I'm just hoping that they don't," said Gabriella, sitting on the ground. "Lets just rest right now, then we can keep going. Right now I think that is all we can do."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Ryan also sitting down.

They all looked off into the long valley. Gabriella looked behind her to make sure nobody was coming from behind. There was a small rush of green from one side of the forest to the other, but other than the nymphs there was nothing. They sat silently for a while enjoying the cool breeze and watching the stars. Suddenly there was a crash in the distance. Gabriella stood up and looked through the valley for anything that could have made the sound. There was something in the distance, but it was too far away to make out. Whatever it was, it didn't look like something they would want to run into.

"I think we should get moving," said Gabriella, not taking her eyes off of the figure. Ryan and Taylor got up and looked where she was looking. They were all uncomfortable and none of them wanted to stay in that spot. Especially if the figure was going to make it's way toward them.

"How far away do you think that is?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know, but if we move fast we may not have to worry about it," said Gabriella picking up her bow and starting to walk.

Ryan and Taylor followed Gabriella for hours and despite how tired they all were, none of them felt safe stopping anywhere. Whatever the figure was, it was getting much closer now and soon it was going to reach them.

"Lets go into the trees over there. If something comes through the valley then it won't be able to see us," said Ryan. "We will be able to rest and we can continue to follow the trees to the desert out of sight."

"Good idea," said Gabriella agreeing. "We will be able to avoid any confrontation. I think that would be the best right now."

The three of them walked into the woods far enough to keep out of sight, and put down there stuff. Gabriella sat on the ground and laid back in the grass. The spot was secluded, yet they were able to see a small spot of the valley.

"How much longer are we going to be able to do this?" Taylor asked, sitting down as well.

"Without food, we won't last much longer," said Ryan. "Especially since we don't even know how far we are going to have to travel."

"We'll find a way to get food. I'm more worried about the fact that people are looking for us," said Gabriella.

"Yeah and apparently there is a prophecy about us," said Taylor. "I'm wondering what kind of prophecy."

"I'm not sure I want to know," Gabriella replied.


	6. The Prophecy

**Chapter 6: The Prophecy**

The night went by quickly and soon the sun was high in the sky. Gabriella awoken startled. She was beginning to have a feeling that they were being watched. She sat up quickly and looked around the forest. It seemed as if nothing was there, yet she felt eyes upon her. Ryan was standing in the middle of the forest staring at one spot. Taylor was still asleep on the ground. Gabriella couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them so she woke Taylor and walked up to Ryan.

"Anybody there?" Gabriella asked with a very drowsy Taylor following behind.

"No, but I can't help but feel like were being watched," said Ryan still looking around. Both he, and Gabriella were staring at the same spot. Even though they couldn't see anything they couldn't shake the feeling that there was something there.

"I know what you mean," said Gabriella softly looking behind her. She saw nothing but for some reason she could not take her eyes off of a particular spot in the forest. Ryan turned around to see what she was looking at and also saw nothing. Taylor seemed confused by the two staring at the one spot.

"What is it?" Taylor asked.

"There's something there," Ryan stated.

"I don't see anything." said Taylor looking where they were.

Suddenly a tall female figure appeared right were they were staring. They all jumped back surprised. She smiled and approached the three of them.

"You both have good instincts," said the women.

"Who are you?" Gabriella asked.

"My name is Isis," she replied.

"Like the Egyptian goddess?" said Gabriella.

"No. I am the Egyptian goddess," she said walking towards them. "I believe you are running into some trouble. One of the nymphs told me about you."

"Asvoria?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes," said the goddess. "I believe you are trying to find your way to the city of Ra."

"Yes. We don't know how we got here and we were hoping to find a way back home." said Ryan.

"Are you aware of why you are here?" she asked. The three of them just looked at each other. "You are half of the prophecy."

"What is this prophecy?" Ryan asked.

"The prophecy says 'Six young humans will come to Everworld to stop the evil empress. They will have talent unknown to them and have great strength to endure all. But one will be persuaded to join the other side and only friends can save them.' I believe you are three of the six young humans the prophecy mentions." said Isis.

"Who are the other three then?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm afraid only you would know that," said Isis.

"How can we know who they are?" Taylor asked.

"You all came here separately and yet you already know each other," said Isis. "I would imagine you already know the other three even if they did not come here with you."

The three of them thought deeply for a second.

"Troy," said Gabriella.

"Sharpay," said Ryan.

"and Chad," said Taylor.

"If you find your friends, be careful. You now know the prophecy. One of you is going to betray the rest," said Isis. "You should continue on to the city. Ra will be able to help you. It is not a safe journey and the empress will be looking for you. So be sure to be on your guard and keep a look out for your friends."

"Alright!" said Gabriella. "How can we get to the city. Staying in the valley is too dangerous. We have already almost been caught once."

"There is a secret trail that I made to avoid the empress. You may take that," she said waving her hand and a long brick trail appeared. The three looked at each other and smiled before turning back to the goddess. "Be careful young ones," and she disappeared.


	7. Hunt and Destroy

**Chapter 7: Hunt and Destroy**

"One of us is going to betray the rest?" Gabriella said, beginning to walk down the trail. "Who could be persuaded to join the other side?"

"Sharpay," said Ryan. Taylor and Gabriella looked at him. "I said it, you know you were thinking it."

"Maybe," said Gabriella. "but would she really betray her own family?"

"She's very material. I don't think it would take much," said Ryan.

"She is, but that seems evil, even for Sharpay," said Taylor.

"It could be her, but it doesn't mean that this empress is going to give the person something," said Gabriella.

"What do you mean?" Taylor asked.

"Bribery is not the only way to persuade someone to join you. Fear can be a powerful thing," Gabriella explained. The other two paused for a second, before continuing to walk.

"Good point," said Ryan. "I guess there is no way of telling who it is until it happens."

"I guess not," said Gabriella. "But I don't like knowing that we are going to be betrayed by someone we trust. Especially if it is something we could prevent. I mean if we knew who it was, maybe we could stop it from happening."

"I don't really know much about what goes on in this world, but a prophecy is a revelation about the future," Ryan stated. "And often times even if you know what is going to happen, there is not much you can do to change it. It's not like we have enough information to even try anyway. I think right now we just need to focus on what we are doing now instead of what we might be doing in the future."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," said Taylor. "I don't really want to worry about all of this right now."

They continued to walk on the trail, without speaking. None of them could wrap their head around this so called prophecy. It was hard enough for them being in a foreign world and now they had to worry about some woman who wants to destroy them for what they might do. Gabriella kept thinking about the person who was supposed to betray them. She couldn't imagine any of them could be the betrayer, even Sharpay. The words that Isis told them were echoing in her head '_If you find your friends, be careful. You now know the prophecy. One of you is going to betray the rest' _There was a sudden loud boom in the middle of the forest and the three stopped where they were. Gabriella kept thinking there was something familiar about it. The boom echoed through the forest again only louder this time.

"What was that?" Taylor asked.

"I don't know, but we should keep walking," said Gabriella. It sounded just like the booms of the empresses men that Gabriella and Taylor had escaped from a couple days earlier. They could tell that it was getting closer, but there was no way of telling which direction it was heading.

"What if it is coming towards us?" Taylor asked.

"This is supposed to be a secret trail," Ryan stated. "Whatever it is, it shouldn't be able to find us.

The noises were getting closer and soon there was rustling in the bushes and many green blurs began to rush around them.

"What is that?" Taylor asked.

"It's the Nymphs, their running from something," said Gabriella. Suddenly one of them stopped between them.  
"Asvoria?" said Taylor.

"You must hurry and go. The empress is coming into the forest. She believes that you are in here and knows about the secret trail. She cannot find it so she is destroying the entire forest," said Asvoria. "It won't be hidden for long."

"Run," said Ryan. The three of them began to run, with many of the nymphs still running behind them. There was another loud boom and the sound of trees falling behind them. There was maniac laughter, clearly a women. Then another boom and more trees could be heard falling. It felt as if the forest itself was trembling and the three of them were already beginning to get tired. They continued to run despite exhaustion catching up with them. There was no safe place for them to stop yet, so they had no choice but to keep running. The booms continued to echo through the forest and it was clear that it was just behind them. Then suddenly there was bright green burst of light coming from in front of them. They stopped where they were, unsure where they should go. Gabriella watched as Taylor and Ryan suddenly fell over unconscious. She began to walk over and help them and was overwhelmed by a sudden dizzy feeling and she too fell to the ground.


	8. An Unknown Ally

**Chapter 8: An Unknown Ally**

Gabriella dreamed of her room back in Albuquerque. Her warm bed, her bookshelf full of her favorite books, and the balcony outside her room where she loved to read in the summer. Somehow she knew it wasn't real. She knew that she wasn't in her room or even in Albuquerque. Even in her dream she remembered that she was in Everworld and that it was likely that her and her friends were in danger.

She woke with a start and immediately stood up. Dizziness swept over her and she sat back down holding her head. Her eyes adjusted to the light and she realized that she was no longer in the forest.

"You really should not get up so fast," came an old mans voice.

"Who are you?" she asked frightened.

"We will get to that as soon as your friends wake up," he said pointing at another two beds where Ryan and Taylor were laying. Neither of them looked hurt which meant that their mysterious rescuer must have got to them before the empress did. She looked back at the man who seemed to be cooking something in a large pot. He was wearing a long blue cloak and had a long gray beard, that matched his hair. He had a calm demeanor and a kind smile. Gabriella got the feeling that this man was not there to do them harm.

"Where are we?" Gabriella asked calming down.

"You are at my house," he said, simply. "I noticed the empress was tearing down the forest looking for you. I thought perhaps you all could use a little help and a safe place to rest."

"Where am I?" came Ryan's voice, as he sat up in the bed. He looked over to Gabriella and the old man. "Who's he?"

"I think he helped us," said Gabriella. Then Taylor silently sat up. Ryan got out of the bed and walked over to Gabriella watching the old man.

"You seem familiar," said Ryan.

"Who is he?" said Taylor, clearly uncomfortable.

"I understand why you would not trust me right away," said the old man. "It is not usually wise to trust strangers, but your friend seems to trust me. So perhaps you will too."

"What friend?" they all said in unison. The three of them looked at each other confused as they heard the door to the cabin open. They all turned around to see a familiar face walking into the room.

"Troy," said Gabriella running up and hugging him. "How did you get here?"

"I don't know," said Troy. "I woke up here."

"So did we," Ryan stated.

"All three of you?" Troy asked.

"Well we started off alone and kind of found each other," said Taylor.

"We figured we would run into you eventually," said Ryan.

"How did you know I was here?" Troy asked.

"Nobody told you about the prophecy?" Gabriella asked.

"You know of the prophecy?" said the old man surprised.

"Yes," Gabriella answered. "Isis told us."

"Really?" the man asked. "That is quite a rare occurrence. It is not often that the goddess reveals herself."

"What prophecy are you talking about?" Troy asked, confused.

"Six young humans will come to Everworld to stop the evil empress. They will have talent unknown to them, and have great strength to endure all. But one will be persuaded to join the other side and only friends can save them," the old man recited.

"Is that supposed to be about us?" Troy asked.

"I believe so, though you are missing two of your companions," said the old man.

"How are we supposed to stop some evil empress?" Troy asked. "I don't know about everyone else, but I didn't come here for that. I didn't even mean to come here at all."

"None of us meant to come here," said Gabriella. "But if this empress is threatening Everworld and all these innocent creatures we have to do something. Although I don't really know what we are supposed to do to stop her."

"That will be for you to figure out," said the man. "But you all should know that Everworld needs you. The Empress is not a nice woman and she is working to take over all of Everworld and dethrone the gods themselves. Most don't think she can, but we have already lost contact with Odin and it is very likely that the Empress had something to do with it. Ra will be able to elaborate more on the prophecy. His kingdom is where it originated."

"That's where we were heading," said Taylor.

"Yes, well how about a meal and a good nights sleep before you set out for the city of Ra," said the old man. "It will be quite a long journey. You all will need some rest."

"Are you going to tell us who you are?" Ryan asked.

"Lets save that for the morning, until then you may just call me Mark," said the man.

"Fine, but you will tell us your real name before we leave, won't you?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes, I will tell you before you leave, but first supper," he said walking over to the large pot he was cooking in. They all sat down and ate soup that 'Mark' had made for them. They were not sure what kind of soup it was, but they decided not to ask. Of everything that was going on in Everworld it was not what they wanted to know.

Before they headed to bed Troy let them in on what had been happening with him since they had been in Everworld. It appeared that 'Mark' had found Troy unconscious in the woods and helped him out when he woke up. However even though Troy had been with the strange man since he arrived, he didn't seem to know any more than they did about him. Finally they all decided to go to bed. They knew they were going to have a long day ahead of them and they would need the rest.

When they awoke in the morning 'Mark' was waiting for them at the door. The four of them gathered their things and headed out to meet him. None of them knew what the day would bring them, but they were thankful to have a little help.

"I have packed you some bread, and fruit for the journey," said 'Mark. "It may come in handy, there are not many places on the way to the City of Ra to stop and get supplies."

"So are you going to tell us your name now?" Gabriella asked, as they all began to walk out of the door.

He smiled and replied, "Merlin!"


	9. Sister Fauns

**Chapter 9: Sister Fauns**

"Merlin?" Taylor asked. "The wizard that helped King Arther?"

"Yes, but that was some time ago," said Merlin. "Now I mostly live in this quiet area alone. That is, until the Empress showed up in Everworld."

"Where did she come from?" Taylor asked.

"That is a story for another time. I believe it is time for you to go, but I imagine we will meet again rather soon," said Merlin. "Be careful, and remember to be wary of anyone you meet on the path to the city."

"Alright," said Gabriella, smiling.

The four of them set off on the path. They had some idea as to where to go. Merlin was helpful with explaining the safest path to the City of Ra. It was still a long way ahead of them and it seemed that they were always getting side tracked. Everyone remained quiet for a while, until Troy spoke up.

"What are we going to do about Chad and Sharpay?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Taylor asked confused.

"Well, if there out there somewhere, we have to find them," said Troy.

"How are we supposed to find them?" Ryan asked. "We don't even know how big this world is."

"I don't know, but we can't just leave them out there," said Troy. "Chad's my best friend."

"Sharpay's my sister," said Ryan. "I want to find her just as much as you want to find Chad, but there isn't anything we can do to find them."

"He's right," said Taylor. "None of us went looking for each other. We ran into each other by chance."

"Yeah, so there had to be a pretty good chance that we are going to run into them eventually," said Gabriella, but Troy was not convinced.

"Look, if they would be anywhere it would be the city of Ra," said Ryan.

"What about the person who is supposed to betray us?" Troy asked.

"What about them?" Ryan asked.

"Sharpay is the only person who would betray us," said Troy. "Do we really want to find her?"

"Look," said Gabriella, before Ryan could say anything. "None of us can be sure who it is that is going to betray us, so I don't think we should worry about that right now."

"Yeah, thats something we will have to deal with when it happens," Taylor agreed. "We can't just sit here driving ourselves crazy with what if's."

"Right now, lets just get to the city of Ra. We can worry about everything else later," said Gabriella.

"Fine," said Troy walking quietly.

They continued for a while down the path in the forest, when they heard a sudden rustle in the bushes. Everyone stopped walking and stood staring at the bushes where the noise had originated. The noise happened again behind them. They all turned around wondering what could be making the noises. They didn't want to take any chances so Gabriella took out her bow, and Ryan his sword. The noises came again in every direction. It was as if whatever it was was all around them.

"I think were surrounded," said Ryan.

"Yeah," said Gabriella looking all around for any sign of what it could be.

Troy put up his left hand and whispered something, and the trees in front of him disappeared. There stood two strange creatures none of them had seen before. They seemed to be half human, half goat.

"Who are you?" Troy asked.

"I'm sorry," A women spoke up in a high pitched voice. "We, were afraid you were the empress."

"But that magic isn't like the empress," said another women with a slightly lower voice."Merlin protects us in this wood."

"We just came from Merlin's," Taylor stated.

"Merlin's the one who taught me that magic," Troy added.

"So then you are the ones from the prophecy?" the first women asked.

"Yes, if you don't mind us asking, what are you?" Gabriella asked.

"Were fawns," said the first. "My name is Tyrene, and this is my sister Glee."

"Where are you going?" said Ryan.

"We do not know," Tyrene replied. "We are just looking for somewhere safe to escape from the empress. She had destroyed our home and we have been wandering ever since."

"Well, we were heading to the City of Ra," Gabriella stated.

"You are going to the great city?" said Glee. "I hear it is quite amazing. It's one of the few places the empress does not control."

"Have you never been there?" Gabriella asked.

"Oh no," said Tyrene. "We are only fawns, and the journey is quiet dangerous, we would never be able to travel all the way there."

"Why don't you come with us then?" Ryan asked.

"With you?" Glee asked.

"You would not mind?" Tyrene asked.

"Of course not, we are already heading there," said Gabriella. "It wouldn't hurt to have a couple extra companions."

"Are you sure we would not be intruding?" Glee asked.

"Not at all," Ryan answered.

"Well, if your sure you don't mind," said Tyrene.

"Can I talk to them for a second?" Troy asked the fawns.

"Alright," Glee answered, staring.

"What is it?" Gabriella asked as Troy pulled the three of them away from the fawns.

"We can't take them with us," he said, nodding towards the fauns.

"Why not?" Taylor asked.

"How do we know there not with the empress?" said Troy.

"Troy, whats worrying you?" said Gabriella.

"What do you mean?" said Troy somewhat coldly.

"There fawns, we know where we are going and if we needed to we could easily take them," said Ryan. "I don't see why it's a problem."

"So your sticking up for them too," Troy shot back.

"Whats with you?" Taylor asked. "There is no reason to fight like this, we are all stuck here together, so we need to work together to get out of here. There is no reason why they can't come, besides this place is new to us and it's not going to hurt to have a couple extra people who actually know the woods."

"Fine," said Troy letting it go.  
"So,' sand Gabriella to the fawns. "We should get going."

"Yes," said Tyrene. "That would be nice."


	10. Strange Behavior

**Chapter 10: Strange Behavior**

They walked quietly down the woodland path, all feeling nervous. Gabriella wasn't sure why but she felt uncomfortable, like someone was watching them. The forest appeared to be empty, but it was much more silent than you would expect. There was no wind and it appeared that animals hadn't lived there in a long time. Almost like someone had scared them all off. She was afraid that danger was heading toward them, but she pushed aside those feelings when they came to a fork in the road. There were two trails each leading off into different directions. One that Merlin told them would lead to the city of Ra, and another which Merlin didn't tell them about. Somehow the one leading toward the City of Ra appeared to be brighter. Gabriella let out a sigh of relief believing that they may be out of harms way once hey head down the path. Everyone began to walk down the path when Gabriella noticed Troy was still standing by the other path.

"Are you coming?" Gabriella asked. Troy said nothing. He just continued to stare down the other path as if he was thinking hard about something. "Troy?" Gabriella shouted. He seemed to come out of his daze and look right at her.

"What's that way?" Troy asked.

"I don't know, but Merlin said the city was this way," said Gabriella. "We need to hurry and get to safety. I don't think we are safe here."

"Well, what if this way is a shorter way to the city?" Troy asked.

"We shouldn't go down a path if we don't know where it leads," said Glee.

"I wasn't talking to you." Troy shouted. The two fawns stepped back.

"Troy we can't go down that path. We don't know where it will lead an we can't afford to take chances like that. Especially, when it could lead all of us into trouble." Gabriella stated. Ryan stepped toward Troy and Troy took a step backwards.

"What is really that way?" Ryan asked.

"What makes you think I know?" Troy asked.

"Why are you pushing us so hard to go down that path?" Ryan replied.

"I'm curious where it leads," said Troy simply. "Why aren't all of you?"

"Maybe because curiosity can get us killed, Troy," Ryan stated. "There is something else gong on here. Something your not telling us."

"I don't know what you mean," said Troy.

"You're not acting like yourself."

"Whats that supposed to mean?"

"I mean you are not acting like the Troy we know. How do we know your not the one who is betraying us? Maybe your trying to do it right now."

"Please, you know Sharpay is the only one who would actually betray us."

"This isn't about her, this is about you and I want to know what is going on."

"I'm getting sick of you," said Troy putting his hand up and throwing Ryan against a tree. Ryan hit hard and fell to the ground groaning.

"Ryan," Yelled Gabriella and Taylor together. Gabriella ran up and helped Ryan to his feet just staring at Troy.

"Troy, what are you doing?" said Taylor.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," said Troy. "Are you really going to trust him over me? You guys are supposed to be my friends."

Ryan stood up holding onto Gabriella for support. She could tell something was wrong. The look in Troy's eyes were almost evil.

"Your not acting right, Troy," said Gabriella.

"You obviously care more about him than me," said Troy.

"What?" said Gabriella confused. "Troy?"

"He's not Troy," said Ryan, finally.

"What?" said Gabriella and Taylor together.

"It's Troy's body, but its not him talking," said Ryan. The man in Troy's body rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.

"This was becoming annoying anyway," he said. He put his hand up towards Ryan, and he fell to the ground holding his neck.

"No," Yelled Taylor. "Stop!"

"It's too bad, I'm sure the empress would have wanted the pleasure of killing you herself," said the man. "Though I am sure she will be happy to learn that I destroyed any chance of the prophecy coming true."

Gabriella shot him in the arm with an arrow, making him release Ryan. Ryan stumbled to the ground coughing and gasping for air They heard a scream coming from the man, but this time it didn't sound anything like Troy. It appeared that the man was beginning to lose control and attempted to pull the arrow out of his arm. While the man was distracted Taylor ran up to Gabriella and Ryan.

"What are we supposed to do?" Taylor asked. "Troy might be in there, we can't just leave him."

"I think I know how to get Troy back," said Ryan. "It's kind of drastic. You're going to have to trust me on this."

"Okay," said Gabriella afraid.

"I really hope this works," said Ryan unsheathing his sword. He walked up to Troy while he finally got the arrow out of his arm. He held up his sword and stabbed him right in the heart.


	11. Unusual Happenings

**Chapter 11: Unusual Happenings**

Ryan took the sword out and fell to the ground. Gabriella just stared as it seemed like Troy fell to the ground dead. Everyone stared at his motionless body perfectly still. Gabriella was the first to move as she walked towards his body. She turned him over slowly scanning his body for wounds. To her surprise she noticed that there was nothing there. No sign that he had been stabbed or shot with an arrow. She began to shake him hoping that he would wake up, but she got no response.

"Troy," Gabriella shouted, beginning to shake him more vigorously. He began to stir and she began to brush his hair out of his face as he opened his eyes. She let out a sigh of relief as he sat up and began to cough.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Someone took over your body," said Gabriella.

"What?" said Troy surprised. "How?"

"Guys," said Taylor.

Gabriella turned around in time to see Ryan fall over unconscious. Tyrene walked over and kneeled next to him. She studied him for a moment before speaking.

"I think he will be alright," she said. "But he will need to rest."

"We should make camp tonight, but lets move up the path a little," said Gabriella. "I think we should try to get away from this path. Whoever that man was may have had some back up waiting in case his plan didn't work."

"I think that sounds like a good idea," Troy agreed.

"We will carry him," said Tyrene.

Everyone headed down the path as far as they could go, giving how tired they were. They found a good spot to make a fire and decided to camp there. The fawns proved to be helpful when it came to cooking meals from fruits and berries around them. It had been several hours since Ryan passed out and he still hadn't woke up and now he appeared to be running a fever. Everyone sat around the fire, silent. Almost everyone was staring into the fire, but Gabriella was watching Ryan hoping he would wake up.

"Are you sure he's going to be alright?" Taylor asked. "He doesn't look good."

"He has a fever, but I don't know why," said Glee. "He should have woken up, but I have never really seen anyone like this. I don't know what is wrong," They all looked at her afraid.

"Try not to worry too much right now," said Tyrene, reassuring. "We will do the best we can to get his fever to go down. From then we can continue to the City of Ra. I'm sure the mighty god will be able to help. For now we all need to rest."

They all went to bed, but Gabriella couldn't sleep. She sat up starring into the darkness of the forest. She wondered what the city of Ra would be like, and if Ra would be able to help Ryan. They had no idea what was wrong with him and he didn't seem to be getting much better. She stood up and looked around at the sleeping figures. It was quiet and she decided to walk down the path a bit more to see if she could tell how much further the City was. The path seemed to go on forever and the city of Ra could not be seen. It was frustrating and Gabriella was having difficulty keeping her calm demeanor in their situation. There were fireworks going off in the sky not too far away. Gabriella wondered if it was some kind of celebration and if there was a chance someone there could help Ryan. She suddenly began to feel dizzy and decided it was best to head back to camp. As she began to walk she lost her footing and collapsed.

When she opened her eyes she was in a village. Fire was erupting from every building and the harsh laughter of a woman echoed over the flames. She turned to see a tall women dressed in all black with long black hair laughing. Gabriella began to back away when she realized that the woman couldn't see her. She then turned toward the village. It didn't appear that the village had developed much past the medieval age. As he villagers ran past her she scanned her surroundings. Nothing about the village seemed familiar except for a figure standing several feet away. She began to walk closer to the person and realized that it was Ryan. He turned around to face her and appeared to recognize her. She heard a voice call her name, but it didn't sound like Ryan. The voice echoed in her head again and she turned around, but nobody else was there. Suddenly she felt herself being pulled and the village disappeared.


	12. Astral Projection

**Chapter 12: Astral Projection**

"Gabriella?" Troy asked worried. She sat up looking around to see everyone staring at her. The images of the village she saw were gone and so was Ryan. At least the Ryan who was not unconscious. She didn't understand what had just happened or even where she was or how she had got there. The village looked as if it was in trouble, but there was no way of telling exactly where it was. Gabriella was deep in thought as she heard someone call her name again, but this time it sounded like Ryan.

"Are you okay?" Taylor asked, bringing Gabriella back to reality.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We found you unconscious on the path," said Glee. "We were afraid you wouldn't wake up."

"I saw a village," she said, suddenly.

"What?" they all said in unison.

"A village that was destroyed, and a women in black laughing," Gabriella tried to explain.

Tyrene and Glee looked at each other concerned.

"What is it?" Gabriella asked.

"That sound's like the Empress," Tyrene explained.

"How did you see this, you where on the ground?" Troy asked.

"I don't know, it was like I was there, but nobody could see me," said Gabriella, she looked over at Ryan. "But, I did see Ryan."

"What?" Taylor and Troy said together.

"I saw Ryan in a crowd of people, and I think he saw me," said Gabriella. Suddenly, she heard her name being called again. She knew Ryan was trying to reach her, but she didn't even know how she was able to get to him the first time. Until Glee interrupted her thoughts.

"You Astral Projected," said Glee.

"I what?" Gabriella asked, confused.

"Astral Projected," Tyrene repeated. "It is possible to pull yourself from your body and put yourself somewhere else. You usually have to think of a place or a person. It is very difficult to do and I have never actually met anyone who was able to do it.

"Does that mean that Ryan is doing that if Gabriella saw him there?" Taylor asked.

"It is possible that he did it, and can't get back," said Tyrene. "But it is unclear as to how he was able to do it. Gabriella must have been thinking of Ryan and she managed to transport herself to him. But Ryan managed to get there without doing that. Which could explain how he could be stuck there since he had no reason for why he showed up there."

"I cam back, so there has to be a way to get Ryan back," said Gabriella. "Even if Ryan didn't think of anything or anyone, there has to be a way for him to get back here."

"Yes, he should have been able to come back, but he has been stuck there for a while," Tyrene stated. "It makes it more difficult to come back to your body if you are gone for a long period of time, especially since he managed to get there without thinking of anything."

"Is it possible for me to bring him back?" said Gabriella.

"I'm not sure what you mean," said Tyrene.

"I could astral project back to him and bring him back with me," said Gabriella.

"Well," Tyrene started. "I have never heard of anyone being able to bring someone back to their body after they have left it, but it could be possible. Are you sure you would be able to do that? You only just now learned how to astral project."

"I have no idea if I can do it, but I have to try," Gabriella stated.

"Alright, but you astral projected on accident," said Glee. "Do you think you can do it on purpose this time?"

"I know what I did this time, so I should be able to get back there," said Gabriella. "All I have to do is remember the village I just saw."

Gabriella layed back down on the ground and thought about the village. She felt a strange pull and suddenly heard the sound of screaming and fire. When she opened her eyes she was back in the destroyed village, but this time Ryan was nowhere to be seen. The Empress was right where she was standing when she had left. Gabriella ran past the Empress who stopped this time looking around her. Gabriella turned around to see what she was doing. She felt a sudden rush of fear and noticed that the Empress was looking directly at her. It was unclear if the Empress could actually see her or if she just had a feeling that she was being watched. Either way Gabriella felt the need to get as far away from the woman as possible.

"What is it your excellence?" Gabriella heard a soldier.

"I thought I felt something move past me," The Empress stated still staring in Gabriella's direction. She began to back away as the Empress turned back to her followers. It seemed that for now the Empress was unaware of her presence.

"Ryan," she yelled hoping that he would be able to hear her.

"Gabriella?" she heard him yell back. She began walking towards his voice, but she couldn't see anyone, but the terrified villagers running past her.

"Where are you?" Gabriella asked attempting to find him.

"Behind you," he said. She turned around and saw him walking toward her from a crowd, and she hugged him.

"Are you okay?" she asked when he got to her.

"I think so, but I don't know how I got here," said Ryan.

"I'll explain that when we get back," she said. "I don't think it is safe to stay here much longer."

"How do we do that?" Ryan asked.

"You don't," came a cold voice behind them. They both turned to see the Empress staring directly at them. An evil grin upon her face.


	13. A Friend in Danger

**Chapter 13: A Friend in Danger**

The Empress grinned evilly and Gabriella and Ryan noticed they were surrounded by guards. They were unsure if the guards could see them, but it was clear that the Empress could.

"How can you see us?" Gabriella asked, frightened.

"My dear girl, I have many powers and I sensed your presence," said the Empress in her cold tone. "I am not sure how you managed to make yourselves invisible, but you didn't really think you were going to make it out of here without me knowing it did you?"

"What do you want with us?" she asked.

"Not too much," said the Empress. "I just don't want that prophecy to come true. So I'm afraid the two of you will be coming with me."

"Were not going anywhere with you," said Ryan.

"I think you will," said the Empress smiling evilly. Ryan and Gabriella shifted uncomfortably. "After all I have something of yours. Something you might want back."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked, confused.

"I found a young girl wandering through the woods not far from here," said the Empress, pointing to some nearby mountains. "Pretty. Blonde. She looks and awful lot like you. I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be your sister. She locked up for the time being, but I can easily change that. It would be much easier to just kill her, that way I would no longer have anything to worry about. Now, I believe you will be joining her in the cells just up ahead. I'm sure she would love to have some company."

"Gabriella?" came a whisper in Gabriella's ear. She looked behind her briefly but their was nothing there. The Empress noticed her wandering eyes, looking to see what Gabriella was looking at.

"Thinking of running, Miss?" the Empress asked. "You won't get far. Every gate in this village have guards. Even if you escape you will only be able to head towards Isis' valley which is already being run by my men. You have no where to go."

"Gabriella?" she heard again. She realized she was hearing Troy whispering in her ear. She remembered that the others were waiting back at camp for her to wake up. She looked at Ryan and then back to the Empress.

"We don't have to run," said Gabriella. "We're not even here."

The Empress looked at her confused. As the guards were about to rush upon them, Gabriella grabbed Ryan's arm and thought of the trail where they made camp. Their surroundings began to fade and suddenly everything was black. Gabriella opened her eyes. She sat up to see Troy looking at her. The others were also surrounding her.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked. "You were out of it for a long time."

"It's fine," said Gabriella getting up.

"What about Sharpay?" Ryan asked startling the rest of them.

"I don't know," said Gabriella. "But we can't leave her there. The Empress knows we are all here which means that she might try to kill Sharpay so that the prophecy won't come true. She already said she doesn't actually need her for anything."

"What are you talking about?" Troy asked, confused.

"The Empress already has Sharpay," said Gabriella.

"Is she okay?" Troy asked.

"For now," Gabriella said looking at Ryan. "She has her locked up."

"Do you know where she is locked up?" Troy asked.

"Yes, she said she had her in some cells in the village we were just in," said Gabriella. "Right before we made it back here she was going to lock us up with her."

"I suppose that explains how Ryan managed to astral project to a place he has never been," said Tyrene. "If he was thinking of his sister then he would be able to travel to her location."

"So now we know where she is," said Troy.

"You are not thinking of going to get her are you?" Glee asked.

"Of course we are," said Troy. "She's our friend."

"And my sister," Ryan added. "We can't just leave her locked up in that village. What if the Empress decided it is more beneficial for her to kill her?"

"The Empress wants all of you," said Tyrene. "Going into her land is very dangerous for anybody, especially you. You can't go walking right into her hands. That is probably what she wants. To catch all of you by using Sharpay as bait."

"Well, we can't leave Sharpay," said Taylor.

"You said she wants all of us," Gabriella interrupted. "So she doesn't have Chad yet. As long as only a couple of us go then she won't have the opportunity to capture all of us."

"Still, it is not a good idea," said Glee. "It's very dangerous and you won't be able to escape as easily if you are caught."

"This prophecy can't be played out if all six of us are not together," said Troy. "We have to get Sharpay and find Chad, otherwise this prophecy can't come true."

"You don't even know exactly where the cells are in the village," said Tyrene.

"That's why were going to find out," said Gabriella.

"Find out?" Glee asked. "Do you really think that the Empress is just going to lead you right to her cell and give her up to you?"

"Of course not," said Gabriella. "We are going to sneak in and the guards are going to tell us."

"What?" asked Tyrene. "Thats crazy."

"Maybe, but I think that it can work." said Gabriella. "We can dress as one of the Empress's soldiers and we are going to pretend we are coming to relive Sharpay's guards. They will lead us right to her."

"You can't be serious," said Glee.

"I think that could work," Troy stated. "More than likely they don't actually know what we look like and the soldiers are always wearing helmets."

"What if your caught?" Tyrene asked. "She could kill all of you and all of Everworld would be doomed."

"We won't get caught," said Gabriella. "But we will be prepared to fight if anything goes wrong."

"When are we going to do this?" Taylor asked.

"I think the village is just down this path a little ways," said Gabriella. "The Empress mentioned that the path from the village would lead to the Valley of Isis. I think we are on that path. We can walk for the rest of the night and then sneak in tomorrow."


End file.
